Viva Aerobus

Is Viva Aerobus safe?

Yes, though it has the weaker record of Mexico's two low-cost airlines. Viva Aerobus has never had a fatal accident and its Airbus fleet averages 7.9 years. Against that, it wrote off an A320 in 2021 after a maintenance failure, and in the last four years its crews have twice been stopped from using the wrong piece of concrete at major US airports. Viva is also outside IATA, so we could not confirm the IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary audit that its rival Volaris and Aeroméxico hold. We score it 76.

What happened at Puerto Vallarta in 2021?

On 18 March 2021 flight 4343 to Monterrey had to backtrack along runway 22 because part of the parallel taxiway was closed. During the 180-degree turn to line up, the A320's nose gear broke and the front of the aircraft dropped onto the runway. All 133 people left by the slides without injury. The aircraft was written offHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary.

Mexico's investigators found the gear's sliding tube had been damaged by heat ("thermal abuse") when its chrome surface was ground during the last major overhaul, and that inspection of that work had been inadequate. Germany's BFU helped because one gear part was made there. It is the only hull loss in Viva's history, and it began in a maintenance shop rather than the cockpit.

The incidents that cost the most

• Chicago O'Hare, June 2022. An A320neo cleared to take off from runway 22L turned onto a parallel taxiway instead and started its take-off run. The tower saw it and shouted "stop" several times; the crew rejected the take-off at about 15 knots.
• New York JFK, December 2025. An A321neo cleared to land on runway 13L on the curving Canarsie approach lined up with 13R, where a Turkish Airlines 787 was waiting for take-off. The crew went around at about 700 feet and the tower cancelled the 787's take-off clearance.
• Torreón, August 2024. An A321 struck its tail on landing. It then flew the return flight and two more round trips before it was grounded for 13 days in Mexico City. Mexico's accident board is investigating.
• Villahermosa, May 2022. A bird ingested on take-off set an A321neo's engine on fire. The crew returned safely; investigators rated it a serious incident.

Bird strikes and engine shutdowns happen at every airline. Lining up with the wrong surface twice at major airports, and flying a jet after a tail strikeTail strikeWhen the tail of an aircraft touches the runway during take-off or landing, usually because the nose was raised too far or too early.More in the glossary, are about crew and maintenance discipline. That is why serious incidents score 60.

How old is the fleet?

At the end of June 2026 Viva flew 109 A320-family jets: 32 A320ceos, 29 A320neos, 12 A321ceos and 36 A321neos, averaging 7.9 years. That is young, and all are fly-by-wireFly-by-wireA flight control system in which the pilot's inputs go to computers, which then move the control surfaces. Many such systems also stop unsafe manoeuvres.More in the glossary.

The problem is availability. Pratt & Whitney's GTF inspection campaign kept an average of 27.9 of Viva's neo jets on the ground from April to June 2026. Unlike Volaris, Viva fills the gap with wet-leased A320s and crews from other airlines (20 from Avion Express Malta in 2024). Those flights carry a Viva flight number but run under the lessor's certificate, and your booking will say "operated by".

Oversight: Mexico and the missing IOSA

Viva holds a Mexican certificate overseen by the AFAC. From May 2021 to September 2023 the FAA rated Mexico Category 2FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary, meaning the regulator did not meet ICAO minimum standards. Mexican airlines could keep their US flights but could not add new ones. Mexico is now back in Category 1.

Viva does not appear on IATA's member list, which requires IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary, and the IOSA registry blocks automated checks. Viva may hold IOSA registration as a non-member, but we could not confirm it, so oversight scores 68, below Volaris at 74.

In December 2025 Viva and Volaris agreed to come under one holding company, keeping separate certificates and brands. If it closes, the two airlines' safety systems will sit side by side, and Viva's results may move towards its partner's.

Tips for flying Viva Aerobus

• Check the operator on your booking. If it says "operated by" another airline, that airline's crew and aircraft fly you.
• Monterrey and Mexico City departures meet summer storms. Viva's two biggest airports get strong convection from June to September; morning flights are less exposed.
• Keep your belt fastened. Short domestic sectors over the Sierra Madre are bumpy, and in a high-density cabin the aisle is narrow.

How we scored it

No fatal accident in its history keeps the accident record at 85, held back by the 2021 hull lossHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary. A fleet averaging 7.9 years scores 85. Oversight (68) and serious incidents (60) pull the score down: Mexico's 2021–2023 downgrade, unconfirmed IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary, and crew errors at Chicago and JFK. Environment scores 70. Overall 76.